Experience with NutriTek®

One of the pioneering NutriTek® dairies, MoDak Dairy, Inc. in eastern South Dakota, now has more than a year's experience using Diamond V's Next Generation dairy technology.

MoDak is part of the Moes Family Farm, which was founded in 1884 and has begun raising the family's sixth generation on the farm. MoDak currently milks 2,200 Holsteins under the direction of brothers Scott and Jacob Moes who are among the family farm partners.

A previous "Producer Spotlight" (DairyAdvisor September 2014) featured Greg Moes, father to Scott and Jacob, who noted that the family sought out the best available expertise to help advance the MoDak dairy operation. Experts the family found included Diamond V’s Curt Harms, DVM, and Tom Oelberg, PhD, who performed MoDak’s first TMR Audit®.

At that time, Greg said that he believed 90% percent of cow health and performance came down to consistency. He said that MoDak used Diamond V Original XPC™ to support consistent, high-performing rumen function and overall cow health.

"We still use Original XPC for mid and late lactation," Scott says. "However, we're now using NutriTek in the close-up and fresh cow rations."

MoDak cows receive TMRs based on corn silage and alfalfa from the farm's 3,000 crop acres. Housing is under one roof in an automated cross-ventilation free-stall barn with sand bedding and a sophisticated water recycling system. Cows are milked three times per day by in a double-30 parallel parlor.

"We’d been following the same procedures all along," Scott says, "but after we began using NutriTek in the close-up and fresh cows, we started to see some changes.

With NutriTek, Scott says, dry matter intake is up and cows are transitioning better into the milking herd.

"Cows coming into milk," Scott says, "jump up another 10 or 15 pounds of production from before. So, when they come into the milking herd, they're hitting the ground running."

Back in 2014, Greg Moes told DairyAdvisor that he believes 90% percent of cow health and performance comes down to consistency. For more than a year now, NutriTek has helped MoDak support consistent cow health and performance at a new level.

"We're very happy with the results we're getting," Scott says.